Many of us pet owners want to ensure that our beloved domestic animals remain healthy. For instance, we are now more discerning when it comes to choosing their food to make sure that what we feed them is nutritious. We read nutritional content and health claims on a pet food label for that very purpose.

One of the top choices of pet owners today to provide their pets the optimal nutrition that they need is holistic pet food. If this is the first time you heard about holistic pet food, here’s some useful information that will cover everything you have to know.

What Does “Holistic” Mean?

Holistic pet foods claim to have ingredients that are nutritionally balanced to provide your pet with the necessary nutrients for their body. Every ingredient contained in holistic pet foods is carefully selected to boost each individual system in the body that works to ensure a pet’s physical, emotional, and mental health.

Nutritional imbalance can result in a range of health problems to your pets. That’s why giving them holistic foods is essential to maintain a healthy balance of nutrients in their body and prevent health problems from arising.

However, you should be cautious about what food you purchase for your pets. It doesn’t automatically mean that if there’s the term “holistic” on the packaging, it’s already holistic per se.

The American Association of Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) regulate and monitor the manufacture and sale of food products for pets, as well as the health claims on their packaging. So you should see to it that the pet food product is AAFCO-certified before buying it so that you don’t put your pets’ health at risk.

Benefits of Feeding Your Pets Holistic Foods

Many pet owners choose holistic pet foods because of the specific health benefits they can bring to their beloved domestic animals. Here’s a list of health benefits of holistic pet foods that you need to know.

Holistic pet foods contain lean meat packed with proteins to ensure that your pets don’t get overweight. Weight-related issues and lack of protein in the diet can lead to heart problems in your pets.

Improved Skin and Coat Health

Holistic pet foods contain healthy oils and vitamin E to maintain and regulate skin hydration in your pets. If the skin stays hydrated, drying or flaking of the skin is prevented. Aside from prevention, these nutrients can also reverse if your pets already have this type of skin problem.

Fish oils and vitamin E in holistic pet foods also provide your furry loved ones with a better and shiny coat. There will also be less shedding or hair loss in your pets if you give them foods that are abundant with healthy nutrients.

Allergy Prevention

Allergies are common to pets, especially if they have a system imbalance or sensitivities to certain foods. For instance, foods that contain grains can trigger allergies to some dogs, and that’s why it’s essential to give them a holistic, grain-free diet.

Sharp Vision

Antioxidants are essential substances in holistic pet foods. With sufficient antioxidants in their diet, your pets will not only maintain their overall well-being but also have better, sharpened eyesight.

Eye problems are common to cats and dogs as they age. So it’s advisable that you provide them with holistic foods throughout their life to support their eye health and prevent age-related eyesight problems.

Better Gastrointestinal Health

Holistic pet foods contain probiotics that improve the gastrointestinal health of your pets. Probiotics are essential because they help the growth of healthy live bacteria in the intestines for better digestion.

Pets, especially dogs, that shifted from eating traditional pet foods to a holistic diet packed with probiotics have seen lower risk to diarrhea and stomach problems. A holistic, probiotic-rich diet will be better for your pets compared to lower-quality pet diets to prevent poor digestion, constipation, and diarrhea.

Also, traditional pet foods that contain grains can increase bowel movements in pets. Grains are hard to absorb in the intestines, resulting in such gastrointestinal problems. That’s another reason why you should feed your pets with holistic foods that are grain-free.

If your pets experience gastrointestinal issues, you can also try CBD oil for treatment. Aside from treating gastrointestinal problems, CBD oil can also relieve stress, anxiety, pain, seizures, and nausea in pets. However, it’s crucial to administer a proper dosage to avoid any side-effects.

Increased Energy

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Giving healthy food to your beloved domestic animals can naturally increase their energy levels. The nutrients contained in holistic pet foods are excellent energy-boosters to help your pets do their daily activities. Holistic foods also facilitate the breakdown of these nutrients in the body so that your pets have more energy to expend for any physical activities.

Where to Buy Holistic Pet Food?

Perhaps you’re now thinking of buying holistic food for your pets because of the health benefits it brings. Well, if you’re wondering where to buy, you can look for holistic pet foods in trusted in-store or online pet shops.

It’s advisable that you buy pet food products that are certified by the United States Food and Drug Administration or American Association of Feed Control Officials (or any regulatory agency in your country).

List of Recommended Brands

The FDA just released a report on the brands of pet foods that may be linked to canine heart disease. So, you must be extra careful when buying foods for your pets. For now, we have here four recommended brands that you should buy.

Holistic Select

Annamaet

Precise Holistic Complete

Solid Gold

Takeaway

It’s essential that we provide our beloved pets with the necessary nutrients to keep them healthy. We should give our pets a holistic, grain-free diet as it can bring various health benefits to them. Holistic food can improve heart health, gastrointestinal health, eyesight, and skin health. It can also prevent allergies and increase energy in our pets.

Author Bio:

Izabelle Horn is a writer and a blogger who focuses on health and wellness topics. She loves to stroll around the web like on CBDnerds, to look for fresh ideas that could help her create new content for the readers out there.